Federal agents say cartel members typically like neighborhoods that are middle class and quiet, where criminals can often blend in and go unnoticed. "We have this large and growing Hispanic population, very few of whom have anything to do with the drug trade. What they do is allow the Mexican cartels a place to hide in plain sight," said U.S. Attorney David Nahmias. * * * According to federal agents, 90 percent of the drugs in the United States come from Mexican cartels and Atlanta is their huge transportation hub. "Drugs come here across the southwest border, broken into small packages and go everywhere," said Nahmias. Stash houses used to keep cocaine, meth, marijuana and heroin are stashed throughout the metro area. The drugs are then shipped north and the cash goes back to Mexico.

President Barack Obama wants to boost funding for law-enforcement investigations of Mexican drug cartels through next year's federal budget, including an additional $2 billion for new technology and manpower. The administration says its 2010 budget targets specific threats posed by cartels, weapons smugglers and criminal aliens who wind up in U.S. jails. The proposal, part of a budget the president will submit to Congress today, would represent an 8 percent increase for border and transportation security funding over this year's total, officials said.